UAE: Social Crimes on the Up, or Just Their Reporting?
ALEXANDER MCNABB: Give people technology and they find all sorts of interesting and different ways to use it, no?
Dubai’s Red Lion: An Obituary
ALEXANDER MCNABB: I can’t help feeling the passing of the ‘outlet’ as more of a wrench than the passing of the hotel itself.
Illegal Eagles: Today, We Are All Publishers
ALEXANDER MCNABB: The platforms are public and subject to the law as any other public pronouncement would be. You publish, you take responsibility.
‘Having Fun With Evi’: And Jealous No More
ALEXANDER MCNABB: You’ve had to listen to how much fun your i-Phone dabbing friends have with Siri. Now it’s your turn.
Nol Cards and the Future of Money
ALEXANDER MCNABB: You’ll have a clash between the RTA, telcos and banks: Who will ‘own’ mobile money? Suddenly the Nol card becomes really interesting.
A Worrying Journalistic Twend: Twitter Tales
ALEXANDER MCNABB: Journalists are taking to Twitter to stand up stories on selected, partial tweets. Balanced? Fair? Honest? Since when has that sold a story?
Edit, Delete, Context: My Five Tips for Happy Tweeting
ALEXANDER MCNABB: You may note a reference or two to my novel but, hey, there’s a price to pay for free consultancy!
Ratings Agencies: The Emperor Has No Clothes
ALEXANDER MCNABB: I’m bewildered at the power that three ratings agencies wield in the world today.
Emirates ID Card: Some Good News…Perhaps
ALEXANDER MCNABB: The New Year has brought a welcome announcement from the UAE authorities – the ID Card procedure is to go online. Cautious optimism then.
Radio: UAE, Home of the World’s Worst Ads?
ALEXANDER MCNABB: It’s becoming a problem for my radio listening life: I turn the radio off as soon as the adverts come on, and then often forget to turn it back on again.
Wadi Wurayah Defaced: The Outrage is Overdue
ALEXANDER MCNABB: It’s a site of outstanding natural beauty which, with improved access via paving, has attracted spray paint wielding vandals.
‘Shock’: Crowds Line Up in Support Of An Arab Government
ALEXANDER MCNABB: We’re still over a week away from the UAE’s National Day but it’s clear that this year’s 40th anniversary is going to be a ‘big one’.
Slurs, Accusations, and the Courts in the Digital Age
ALEXANDER MCNABB: … It does leave you wondering what would happen if a truly complex case of Internet fraud or identity theft did come up for the Dubai courts to make judgment on…
Internet: The Ramification Beyond Connections
ALEXANDER MCNABB: Mai and I were so busy examining the implications for the broadband market we missed the wider implications… This had the ability to bring down governments.
Emirates Identity Card: A PR Horror Story
ALEXANDER MCNABB: So, three years later, we have a real deadline (“We’re serious this time, we’re telling you!”) with a fine to be imposed upon those not complying,
ENOC PR: What’s Behind the Curious Timing?
ALEXANDER MCNABB: Quite why the company has broken its silence now remains to be explained, but one is left with the feeling there’s something…
Gitex: Not Just a Trade Show, Part of Dubai Itself
ALEXANDER MCNABB: The miracle is that it’s still with us at all – all the other great horizontal computer shows barring Hanover’s CeBIT have tanked.
Steve Jobs: Arrogant Genius Who Made The Difference
ALEXANDER MCNABB: There’s little doubt Steve Jobs was an arrogant bastard. I’ve never met him but the absolute certitude shone through in everything he did.
Voter Apathy Fails to Take Shine off UAE Elections
ALEXANDER MCNABB: Happiness follows the successful conclusion of the UAE’s dalliance with voting. Shame one UAE paper feels the need to gloss over the mildest of grievances.
UAE Gears Up for Elections – But Will the Voters Show Up?
ALEXANDER MCNABB: Gulf News’ editor Abdul Hamid Ahmad points out not all Dubai candidates have been active. “They do not have the motivation..”
